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RECENT BLOG POSTS

But it doesn’t even look like glass! Sèvres Lithyalin.
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Elizabeth Allen – A Patchwork Picture
My Georgian Office Chair Refreshed – Comfort & Correct
Fake Tiffany. Don’t Always Trust Marks!

ABOUT MARK HILL :

Mark is an author, publisher, TV presenter, and the leading specialist dealer in postwar Czechoslovakian glass. He has been an expert on the BBC Antiques Roadshow since 2007, and co-presented four primetime TV shows on antiques, collecting and interiors for BBC2, including two series of Collectaholics. Mark lectures widely and is an Arts Society (NADFAS) accredited lecturer, a member of The British Antiques Dealers’ Association, and a Freeman of the City of London.

Member of The British Antique Dealers’ Association

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MARK'S INSTAGRAM

markhillantiques

My latest purchase - from the truly excellent @aaf

My latest purchase - from the truly excellent @aafefairs yesterday. An Arts & Crafts copper and brass casket with complex mystery marks on the base.

A bell rang faintly in my head when I saw the marks, but I simply can’t place them!! Is it a good bell or a bad bell?! It’s nice quality, even though the finial has been replaced. Any thoughts as to the maker?

If you do one thing this weekend (27th & 28th November 2021), visit Art & Antiques For Everyone at @necbirmingham. Making a return after two long years, it’s a triumph. The organisers and hundreds of dealers have pulled out all the stops to present an amazing show, with literally something for everyone. The opening day was superbly busy but there’s plenty left for you. Looking for a unique Christmas gift? For yourself or a loved one? Whatever! Go find your treasure!

On a quick visit to Helsinki this week, I stumbled

Instagram post 17893883036510874

Instagram post 17893883036510874

Rokurokubi. A strangely pleasing word, but not a p

Rokurokubi. A strangely pleasing word, but not a pleasing strange thing.

A Rokurokubi is a Japanese ‘yokai’, a supernatural being.

Appearing normal during the day, when everyone is sleeping, the neck of the cursed individual extends to horrific lengths allowing the head to get up to all sorts of jackalawkins. Like drinking lamp oil, and scaring the bejesus out of people unfortunate enough to come across it.

Worse is a related yokai, the Nukekubi. With these, the cursed individual’s head detaches completely and flies off in search of human blood to quench its thirst.

In both cases, the cursed person is unaware of what happens to them at night.

Happy Halloween!

(Pictured is a probably early 20thC Japanese carved wood figure of what I like to think is a Rokurokubi.)

Mark Takes Five . I was asked to pick five of my f

Mark Takes Five
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I was asked to pick five of my favourite objects from this weekend’s @bathdecfair. It wasn’t easy. I could have easily picked 50. Here’s what caught my eye…but there’s plenty more there to see…
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A Victorian painted stone bust - wonderfully weathered, crammed with character and - those eyes! From @thehomebothy

A group of Italian Fortuny painted silk lamps - Typically luxurious style from the famous Venetian fashion house. Pendulously perfect. Delightfully diffused. And, oh, so many of them! From @not.wanted.on.voyage

An oil on board by up-and-coming contemporary artist Ben Reader - Hints of Bloomsbury, a healthy dose of strong colours, and a huge sense of emotions. From @thomasspencerfineart
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A huge early 20thC oil on canvas of porcelain dolls - Freakily folk-ily fun, and a totally unique statement piece. Find me another. (Had I not already bought a picture, this would have come home with me). From Paul Drewett Antiques
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A charcoal drawing of a card player - Poker face! But what’s he really thinking? What’s his hand REALLY like? You’ll keep on guessing… From @the_table_gallery

If you do one thing this weekend, visit @bathdecfa

If you do one thing this weekend, visit @bathdecfair. After a long lockdown break, the fair is back and better than ever. Stunning looks, huge variety, great prices and warm and friendly dealers. I bought something, as I always do. And so did legendary dealers @spencer_swaffer and @drewpritchardantiques! Browse and buy like a pro and find your own treasures at the Bath Pavilion, this weekend (23rd-24th October 2021).

Rubbish. I’ve encountered some eye-catching rubb

Rubbish. I’ve encountered some eye-catching rubbish over the past few months… Where are the Wombles when you need them?!

My current read. And it’s fabulous. A history of

My current read. And it’s fabulous. A history of the British antiques trade, profiles of the most renowned historic names in the business, and sumptuous photos of a treasure they sold, typically to a museum. A must - especially during the inaugural BADA Week. Written by Mark Westgarth for a 2019 exhibition @thebowesmuseum. Get your copy for £12 from antiquedealers@leeds.ac.uk

A weekend wedding took us to Madrid. After a sun-s

A weekend wedding took us to Madrid. After a sun-soaked big day, it poured on Sunday. Like many Madrileños, we took a promenade around the La Latina district, home of the famous ‘El Rastro’ flea market on Calle de la Ribera de Cortidores.

The main market street stalls have no antiques, vintage, or anything like that. Instead, avoid the crowded main drag and walk around the block or so south of Calle de Carnero. You’ll find plenty of antiques shops, and a few random street stalls. For higher end antiques and more of a decorative feel, there’s a large courtyard of shops on the crossing with Calle De Rodas. I only found one midcentury shop - most of the things for sale aren’t really me, being conspicuously ‘Antique’ and generally at the right price or (much) higher. Everything winds down from the early afternoon onwards, especially on a wet day, so don’t dilly dally.

What did I buy? In the lack of anything that matched my usual interests, I played my ‘Half A Ton of Learning’ game where I have a £50 budget to buy a sculpture that I know nothing about - so, it’s kind of comfortably out of my comfort zone. The winner today was this patinated African tribal art figure, reputedly carved in the late 19thC by the Kusu tribe of the Congo, complete with ‘magic mud’ in the head. Oooer. Is it a real winner though? I’ll find out - that’s the point of the game.

Object(s) of the fair for me - a group of 1920s Ja

Object(s) of the fair for me - a group of 1920s Japanese boxwood combs, displayed like an illustration of a stylised forest, and sold by @davidleviantiques. And doesn’t the @decorativefair look magnificent? Wall to wall gorgeous inspiration. It’s on today and across this weekend - buy your tickets on decorativefair.com. It’s a feast for the eyes and soul.

Sometimes I just can’t say goodbye. I bought thi

Sometimes I just can’t say goodbye. I bought this eye-wateringly rare Sèvres Lithyalin glass vase from @manddmoir at the amazing @decorativefair in 2012. In a fit of stupid shelf-clearing earlier this year, I asked them to sell it for me. I missed it. I wanted it back. So I rushed off to the same fair today to retrieve it before the fair opens tomorrow. And now it’s back home. So happy. Story on my blog, link in bio.

Filming at yesterday’s @bbcantiquesroadshow at P

Filming at yesterday’s @bbcantiquesroadshow at Portchester Castle, the last filming location for the upcoming series. And one of my favourites too, with some sensational items!
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(Photo by and thanks to the supremely elegant and charming @aminjaffer_curator)

Flea market find today. A gory and rather well-exe

Flea market find today. A gory and rather well-executed watercolour or gouache. 19th century, I guess. There’s a story to discover here…

It’s always sad to see a local restaurant go. Es

It’s always sad to see a local restaurant go. Especially after these hard 18 months and when it was as fun and fabulous as @hellodarlinglondon. We went to the ‘clear out’ sale of fixtures and fittings the week before last and it was crazy. Crazy good. The place was packed with trendy young things buying vintage and antique to take back to their homes. Never let anyone tell you that nobody young is interested in old stuff. What did I buy? From the little that was left by the time I got there, an antler roundel. Or chandelier without the lights. Or frame. Whatever. I dunno. But I like it and will find something for it to do!

Up next on our ex-Pride weekend was a visit to the

Up next on our ex-Pride weekend was a visit to the ‘Queer Art Boot Fair’ in Peckham organised by @mocalondon_we. An amazing selection, super friendly and a chance to support artists who have had a dreadful time over these past 18 months. As well as seeing my talented and lovely friend @al3xjw, I was lucky enough to get my portrait sketched by the equally talented and charming @a_d_a_m_h_e_n_n_e_s_s_e_y. He set himself the challenge of doing it in 15 minutes. I absolutely love it!

No Pride in London this year! Understandably, for

No Pride in London this year! Understandably, for sure. But my partner and I missed it, so had a ‘gay’ weekend with some of the events that survived it. First up was the wonderful Henry Scott Tuke exhibition @wattsgallery, which closes on 12th September. I used to escape to the Watts Gallery as a Symbolist-obsessed history of art student. It was my hiding place amongst gorgeous art. I shed a tear of joy when I saw how it has been transformed since the 90s. The Tukes were wonderful. Particularly ‘July Sun’ from 1913, an essay in how to model form with colour. Stunning.

More proof that the late studio glass artist Sam H

More proof that the late studio glass artist Sam Herman’s star is rising again. Sold today for over £2,700 and £2,100 respectively at today’s @woolleyandwallisdesign auction of the collection of David Coachworth & Peter Myers. Bravo!

I’m a fan of, but not at all an expert in, triba

I’m a fan of, but not at all an expert in, tribal art. I always admire it, but worry about the ranks of ‘old-looking’ pieces I see all too frequently - and I can’t afford the good stuff! But I’d never, ever seen a figure with four faces before. Two, yes. Three, I think so. But not four. He’s carved very rudimentarily, and wonderfully worn so clearly has some age. I need to do more research, but he may have been a type of guardian, with one face looking out in the four compass directions. As for the tribe who carved him, I have no idea. So, for the time being, I shall guard him!

A charming souvenir from our Summer break in Yorks

A charming souvenir from our Summer break in Yorkshire. I love textile art and rather fell for this small Victorian silkwork picture of what may or may not be the Yorkshire Wolds. Landscape silkworks are arguably more unusual than religious, moralistic or figural scenes. I love the tightly stitched details such as the shade under the trees, the colours in the fields, and the wispy clouds. The colours are still strong and fresh, and it’s still in its original frame with an original reverse painted glass mount. Am I going too far by saying that there’s something almost proto-Impressionist about it?! Whatever, after reading the ink inscription on the back, I like the idea of G. Kathleen Goddard carefully stitching this ‘en plein air’ as a gift for her friend H.M. Elms. A near two-centuries-old glimpse and a bargain at £20 from the wonderful @skiptonantiquescentre and @theyorkshireflea.

I love studio glass. Especially the early stuff fr

I love studio glass. Especially the early stuff from the 1960s & 70s that revels in colour, experimentation and the mercurial medium itself. I’ve always thought Pauline Solven, who made this bowl around 1970, is under-rated. One of the first pupils of studio glass pioneer and teacher @samhermanstudio at the @royalcollegeofart, she preferred to work entirely alone. I consider myself lucky that one day, years ago, she let me watch her work, and explained some of her inspirations to me. Keep an eye on her work and, indeed, the whole area of studio glass.

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